The New Moon
Encyclopedia
The New Moon is the name of an operetta
with music by Sigmund Romberg
and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
, Frank Mandel, and Laurence Schwab. The show was the third and last in a string of Broadway
hits for Romberg (after The Student Prince
(1924) and The Desert Song
(1926)) written in the style of Viennese operetta. It spawned a number of revivals and film versions and is still played by light opera companies.
conducted in both Philadelphia and New York.
The operetta opened on Broadway at the Imperial Theatre on September 19, 1928, ran for 519 performances, and closed at the Casino Theatre on December 14, 1929. The production used set designs by Donald Oenslager
. The work was produced in London's West End
in 1929. The operetta was restaged faithfully in 1988 by the New York City Opera
and was telecast by PBS
in 1989. The Light Opera of Manhattan
staged the work several times in the 1980s.
City Center Encores!
presented a semi-staged revival at New York City Center
in March 2003. An original cast album was made of this revival and released by Ghostlight Records (an imprint of Sh-K-Boom Records
) on November 16, 2004. The Encores production was presented during the run-up to the Iraq War and was the scene of an unlikely controversy when, during the five performances, part of the audience responded with loud applause and cheers to the line "One can be loyal to one's country and yet forswear its leader" and others replied to the cheers with boos. However, there was only a smattering of boos discernible at the end of raucous applause that, on at least one occasion (opening night), lasted a good five minutes. It was such a surprise to the cast members that many of them broke from their poses and looked up in awe and admiration at what turned out to be a portentous crowd.
inclinations force him to flee his country. Under an assumed name, he sells himself as a bond-servant to planter and ship-owner Monsieur Beaunoir and his family in New Orleans in 1792. Because the Paris police are looking everywhere for him, Robert cannot tell Beaunoir or Beaunoir's beautiful daughter Marianne, with whom he has fallen in love, that he is of noble blood. Eventually he is tracked down by Vicomte Ribaud, the detective villain, and put aboard a ship, The New Moon, so that he can be returned to France. Robert thinks he has been betrayed by Marianne, who has gained her father's consent to travel on the same ship, pretending that she is in love with the ship's captain, Duval. A mutiny
occurs, and Robert and the bond-servants come into power. Everyone goes ashore on the Isle of Pines, and a new republic is founded.
The republic flourishes under Robert's guidance. But Marianne, her pride hurt, at first refuses to marry Robert. French ships arrive, apparently to reclaim the island. Vicomte Ribaud expects them to conquer the island for the King of France. But the French Commander reveals that there has been a revolution
in France, and that all aristocrats like himself must die unless they renounce their titles. Ribaud, a Royalist
, heads for execution, but republican Robert renounces his title. All ends happily for him and Marianne.
Act II
in 1930
, with a setting in Russia
, and in 1940, starring Jeanette MacDonald
and Nelson Eddy
. The 1930 version added new songs not by Romberg.
. These 78-RPM records have been transferred to CD on the Pearl Label.
Earl Wrightson
and Frances Greer
starred in Al Goodman
's recording for RCA Victor
. This has not been released on CD and has not been in print since the LP issue in 1951. Decca
made an album in 1953 with Lee Sweetland and Jane Wilson covering six selections from the score which has been reissued on CD paired with The Desert Song
. Gordon MacRae
recorded a 10-inch LP for Capitol Records
of the score. It was later repackaged on one side of a 12-inch album (with Rudolf Friml
's The Vagabond King
on the reverse), but that album has been out-of-print since the late 1960s.
Reader's Digest
include a selection in their album A Treasury of Great Operettas, first offered for sale in 1963. This stereo recording is available on CD. Also in 1963, as part of a series of stereo recordings of classic operettas, Capitol had MacRae and Dorothy Kirsten record a full album of the score. Most of it can be heard on the EMI CD Music of Sigmund Romberg, along with selections from The Student Prince
and The Desert Song.
A 2004 concert staging in New York led to the release of a CD containing the entire score and using the original orchestrations. It is available on the Ghostlight label.
Operetta
Operetta is a genre of light opera, light in terms both of music and subject matter. It is also closely related, in English-language works, to forms of musical theatre.-Origins:...
with music by Sigmund Romberg
Sigmund Romberg
Sigmund Romberg was a Hungarian-born American composer, best known for his operettas.-Biography:Romberg was born as Siegmund Rosenberg to a Jewish family in Gross-Kanizsa during the Austro-Hungarian kaiserlich und königlich monarchy period...
and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
Oscar Hammerstein II
Oscar Greeley Clendenning Hammerstein II was an American librettist, theatrical producer, and theatre director of musicals for almost forty years. Hammerstein won eight Tony Awards and was twice awarded an Academy Award for "Best Original Song". Many of his songs are standard repertoire for...
, Frank Mandel, and Laurence Schwab. The show was the third and last in a string of Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
hits for Romberg (after The Student Prince
The Student Prince
The Student Prince is an operetta in four acts with music by Sigmund Romberg and book and lyrics by Dorothy Donnelly. It is based on Wilhelm Meyer-Förster's play Alt Heidelberg. The piece has elements of melodrama but lacks the swashbuckling style common to Romberg's other works...
(1924) and The Desert Song
The Desert Song
The Desert Song is an operetta with music by Sigmund Romberg and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, Otto Harbach and Frank Mandel. It was inspired by the 1925 uprising of the Riffs, a group of Moroccan fighters, against French colonial rule. It was also inspired by stories of Lawrence of...
(1926)) written in the style of Viennese operetta. It spawned a number of revivals and film versions and is still played by light opera companies.
Performance history
The New Moon debuted in Philadelphia on Christmas Eve, 1927. The tryout was a failure, and the show was extensively revised before moving to New York. Al GoodmanAl Goodman
Al Goodman was a conductor, songwriter, stage composer, musical director, arranger, and pianist....
conducted in both Philadelphia and New York.
The operetta opened on Broadway at the Imperial Theatre on September 19, 1928, ran for 519 performances, and closed at the Casino Theatre on December 14, 1929. The production used set designs by Donald Oenslager
Donald Oenslager
Donald Oenslager was a celebrated American scenic designer who won the Tony Award for Best Scenic Design.-Biography:Oenslager was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and became interested in design while studying in Europe...
. The work was produced in London's West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
in 1929. The operetta was restaged faithfully in 1988 by the New York City Opera
New York City Opera
The New York City Opera is an American opera company located in New York City.The company, called "the people's opera" by New York Mayor Fiorello La Guardia, was founded in 1943 with the aim of making opera financially accessible to a wide audience, producing an innovative choice of repertory, and...
and was telecast by PBS
Public Broadcast Service
The Public Broadcast Service is a government-owned educational radio and television broadcast service located in Barbados. Public Broadcast Service owns a radio station, 91.1FM and its television programming will be introduced in 2009....
in 1989. The Light Opera of Manhattan
Light Opera of Manhattan
Light Opera of Manhattan, known as LOOM, was an Off-Broadway repertory theatre company that produced light operas, including the works of Gilbert and Sullivan and European and American operettas, 52 weeks per year, in New York City between 1968 and 1989....
staged the work several times in the 1980s.
City Center Encores!
Encores!
Encores! Great American Musicals in Concert is a program that has been presented by New York City Center since 1994. Encores! is dedicated to performing the full score of musicals that rarely are heard in New York City...
presented a semi-staged revival at New York City Center
New York City Center
New York City Center is a 2,750-seat Moorish Revival theater located at 131 West 55th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues in Manhattan, New York City. It is one block south of Carnegie Hall...
in March 2003. An original cast album was made of this revival and released by Ghostlight Records (an imprint of Sh-K-Boom Records
Sh-K-Boom Records
Sh-K-Boom Records is a record label, a producer of recorded and live entertainment, and an interactive community at www.sh-k-boom.com — all devoted to the mission of bridging the gap between pop music and theater...
) on November 16, 2004. The Encores production was presented during the run-up to the Iraq War and was the scene of an unlikely controversy when, during the five performances, part of the audience responded with loud applause and cheers to the line "One can be loyal to one's country and yet forswear its leader" and others replied to the cheers with boos. However, there was only a smattering of boos discernible at the end of raucous applause that, on at least one occasion (opening night), lasted a good five minutes. It was such a surprise to the cast members that many of them broke from their poses and looked up in awe and admiration at what turned out to be a portentous crowd.
Roles and original Broadway cast
- Marianne Beaunoir (sopranoSopranoA soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
) — Evelyn Herbert - Monsieur Beaunoir, her father — Pacie Ripple
- Julie, her maid (sopranoSopranoA soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
) — Marie Callahan - Captain Georges Duval — Edward Nell, Jr.
- Robert Misson (tenorTenorThe tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
) — Robert Halliday - Alexander (baritoneBaritoneBaritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
) — - Philippe (tenor) — William O'Neal
- Clotilde Lombaste (soprano) — Esther Howard
- Besac, boatswain of the 'New Moon (baritone) — Lyle Evans
- Jacques, ship's carpenter — Earle Mitchell
- Vicomte Ribaud — Max Figman
- Flower Girl — Olga Albani
- Fouchette — Thomas Dale
- Emile, Brunet, Admiral de Jean, etc.
Synopsis
Robert is a young French aristocrat whose revolutionistFrench Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
inclinations force him to flee his country. Under an assumed name, he sells himself as a bond-servant to planter and ship-owner Monsieur Beaunoir and his family in New Orleans in 1792. Because the Paris police are looking everywhere for him, Robert cannot tell Beaunoir or Beaunoir's beautiful daughter Marianne, with whom he has fallen in love, that he is of noble blood. Eventually he is tracked down by Vicomte Ribaud, the detective villain, and put aboard a ship, The New Moon, so that he can be returned to France. Robert thinks he has been betrayed by Marianne, who has gained her father's consent to travel on the same ship, pretending that she is in love with the ship's captain, Duval. A mutiny
Mutiny
Mutiny is a conspiracy among members of a group of similarly situated individuals to openly oppose, change or overthrow an authority to which they are subject...
occurs, and Robert and the bond-servants come into power. Everyone goes ashore on the Isle of Pines, and a new republic is founded.
The republic flourishes under Robert's guidance. But Marianne, her pride hurt, at first refuses to marry Robert. French ships arrive, apparently to reclaim the island. Vicomte Ribaud expects them to conquer the island for the King of France. But the French Commander reveals that there has been a revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
in France, and that all aristocrats like himself must die unless they renounce their titles. Ribaud, a Royalist
House of Bourbon
The House of Bourbon is a European royal house, a branch of the Capetian dynasty . Bourbon kings first ruled Navarre and France in the 16th century. By the 18th century, members of the Bourbon dynasty also held thrones in Spain, Naples, Sicily, and Parma...
, heads for execution, but republican Robert renounces his title. All ends happily for him and Marianne.
Musical numbers
Act I- Dainty Wisp of a Thistledown (Ensemble)
- Marianne (Robert)
- The Girl on The Prow (Marianne, Besac and Ensemble)
- Gorgeous Alexander (Julie, Alexander and Girls)
- An Interrupted Love Song (Captain Paul Duval, Marianne and Robert)
- Tavern Song (Flower Girl, a Dancer and Ensemble)
- Softly, As in a Morning SunriseSoftly, As in a Morning Sunrise"Softly, As in a Morning Sunrise" is a song with music by Sigmund Romberg and Oscar Hammerstein II from the 1928 operetta The New Moon. One of the best-known numbers from the show, it is a song of bitterness and yearning for a lost love, sung in the show by Philippe , the best friend of the hero,...
(Philippe and Ensemble) - Stout-hearted Men (Robert, Philippe and Men)
- Fair Rosita (Girls and The Dancers)
- One Kiss (Marianne and Girls)
- Ladies of the Jury (Alexander, Julie, Clotilde Lombaste and Girls)
- Wanting You (Marianne and Robert)
Act II
- A Chanty (Besac and Men)
- Funny Little Sailor Man (Clotilde Lombaste, Besac and Ensemble)
- Lover, Come Back to MeLover, Come Back to Me"Lover, Come Back to Me" is a popular song. The music was written by Sigmund Romberg with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II for the Broadway show The New Moon, where the song was introduced by Evelyn Herbert and Robert Halliday...
(Marianne) - Love Is Quite a Simple Thing (Robert, Besac, Alexander and Julie)
- Try Her Out at Dances (Alexander, Julie and Girls)
- Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise (Phillippe and Men)
- Never (for You) (Marianne)
- Lover, Come Back to Me (Reprise) (Robert and Men)
Film versions
Film versions were produced by MGMMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
in 1930
1930 in film
-Events:* November 1: The Big Trail featuring a young John Wayne in his first starring role is released in both 35mm, and a very early form of 70mm film and was the first large scale big-budget film of the sound era costing over $2 million. The film was praised for its aesthetic quality and realism...
, with a setting in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, and in 1940, starring Jeanette MacDonald
Jeanette MacDonald
Jeanette MacDonald was an American singer and actress best remembered for her musical films of the 1930s with Maurice Chevalier and Nelson Eddy...
and Nelson Eddy
Nelson Eddy
Nelson Ackerman Eddy was an American singer and actor who appeared in 19 musical films during the 1930s and 1940s, as well as in opera and on the concert stage, radio, television, and in nightclubs. A classically trained baritone, he is best remembered for the eight films in which he costarred...
. The 1930 version added new songs not by Romberg.
Recordings
There are quite a few recordings of this score. No original Broadway cast recording was made, but the 1928 London cast recorded some selections for EMIEMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
. These 78-RPM records have been transferred to CD on the Pearl Label.
Earl Wrightson
Earl Wrightson
Earl Wrightson was an American singer and actor best known for musical theatre, concerts and television performances. His regular singing partner was the soprano Lois Hunt.-Early life and career:...
and Frances Greer
Frances Greer
Frances Greer was an American soprano. A leading performer at the Metropolitan Opera and the Philadelphia Opera Company, she recorded 13 albums, mostly musical operattas with RCA Victor, and made several concert appearances at Carnegie Hall...
starred in Al Goodman
Al Goodman
Al Goodman was a conductor, songwriter, stage composer, musical director, arranger, and pianist....
's recording for RCA Victor
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
. This has not been released on CD and has not been in print since the LP issue in 1951. Decca
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
made an album in 1953 with Lee Sweetland and Jane Wilson covering six selections from the score which has been reissued on CD paired with The Desert Song
The Desert Song
The Desert Song is an operetta with music by Sigmund Romberg and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, Otto Harbach and Frank Mandel. It was inspired by the 1925 uprising of the Riffs, a group of Moroccan fighters, against French colonial rule. It was also inspired by stories of Lawrence of...
. Gordon MacRae
Gordon MacRae
Gordon MacRae was an American actor and singer, best known for his appearances in the film versions of two Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals, Oklahoma! and Carousel and films with Doris Day like Starlift.-Early life:Born Albert Gordon MacRae in East Orange, New Jersey, MacRae graduated from...
recorded a 10-inch LP for Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
of the score. It was later repackaged on one side of a 12-inch album (with Rudolf Friml
Rudolf Friml
Rudolf Friml was a composer of operettas, musicals, songs and piano pieces, as well as a pianist. After musical training and a brief performing career in his native Prague, Friml moved to the United States, where he became a composer...
's The Vagabond King
The Vagabond King
The Vagabond King is a 1925 operetta by Rudolf Friml in four acts, with a book and lyrics by Brian Hooker and William H. Post, based upon Justin Huntly McCarthy's 1901 romantic play If I Were King...
on the reverse), but that album has been out-of-print since the late 1960s.
Reader's Digest
Reader's Digest
Reader's Digest is a general interest family magazine, published ten times annually. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, its headquarters is now in New York City. It was founded in 1922, by DeWitt Wallace and Lila Bell Wallace...
include a selection in their album A Treasury of Great Operettas, first offered for sale in 1963. This stereo recording is available on CD. Also in 1963, as part of a series of stereo recordings of classic operettas, Capitol had MacRae and Dorothy Kirsten record a full album of the score. Most of it can be heard on the EMI CD Music of Sigmund Romberg, along with selections from The Student Prince
The Student Prince
The Student Prince is an operetta in four acts with music by Sigmund Romberg and book and lyrics by Dorothy Donnelly. It is based on Wilhelm Meyer-Förster's play Alt Heidelberg. The piece has elements of melodrama but lacks the swashbuckling style common to Romberg's other works...
and The Desert Song.
A 2004 concert staging in New York led to the release of a CD containing the entire score and using the original orchestrations. It is available on the Ghostlight label.